{"id":142809,"date":"2019-07-03T02:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=142809"},"modified":"2020-08-05T13:38:31","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:38:31","slug":"right-way-to-pop-pimples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/right-way-to-pop-pimples\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right Way to Pop Your Pimples, According to Dermatologists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture this: You wake up, head to your vanity, and look in the mirror only to find a constellation of zits staring back at you.\u00a0While your safest bet is to leave the blemish alone completely, we know all too well how tempting it is to pick at the pesky bumps. But before you do, you should know that there’s a proper way to pop pimples.<\/p>\n

Below, dermatologists share their expert knowledge on how to deal with blemishes.<\/p>\n

Understand there\u2019s no real safe zone<\/strong>
\n\u201cFor starters, there is no real \u2018safe\u2019 way to pop a pimple at home,\u201d says NYC-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Arielle Kauvar<\/a>. \u201cManipulating, squeezing, and popping pimples can result in additional inflammation, skin discoloration, and even scarring, particularly when attempting to squeeze or pop deeper cysts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn the different types of blemishes<\/strong>
\n\u201cThere are many different types of acne lesions, and the types that can be popped are those with superficial blockages in the pores \u2013 blackheads, whiteheads, and pustules,\u201d says Kauvar. \u201cBlackheads and whiteheads are pores (hair follicle channels) that are blocked with oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria without inflammation, so they are not red or tender. Blackheads have an open pore and whiteheads have a closed pore. Pustules are blocked pores that are also inflamed (red bumps with a white peak), and they contain fluid or pus that results from inflammation in the pore.\u201d Remember, if it\u2019s just a large and painful red bump without a head, at all costs, keep your hands off.<\/p>\n

Pop it at night<\/strong>
\n\u201cIf you do attempt to pop your pimple before an important event, try to do it the night before so your skin can recover,\u201d says Kauvar.<\/p>\n

Be gentle<\/strong>
\n\u201cStart by removing your makeup and cleansing your face and hands well to avoid infections (preferably after a shower so the steam can expand your pores),\u201d advises Kauvar. \u201cAvoid using extractors or sterilized needles as these instruments can lead to additional skin damage, infections, and possible scarring. Gently squeeze the skin around the lesion from two sides with equal pressure. If your attempt fails, do not persist. You will ultimately make your skin look worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hold off on spot treatments<\/strong>
\n\u201cAvoid immediately applying acne medications on open, abraded skin, which can lead to more inflammation,\u201d warns Kauvar.<\/p>\n

Schedule an appointment with your dermatologist<\/strong>
\n\u201cIf you have active acne, you should see a dermatologist who can safely treat your acne most effectively,\u201d Kauvar says. \u201cAttempting to pop deeper cysts can cause the cysts to enlarge and damage the surrounding skin and lead to scarring.\u201d<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Picture this: You wake up, head to your vanity, and look in the mirror only ...","author":7532800,"featured_media":142810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,275],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/02170129\/pimple.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/02170129\/pimple-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"July 3, 2019","category_name":"Beauty","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113828\/beauty-1.svg","author_name":"Rebecca Norris","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#129b92","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532800"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}